The Quarter
first appeared in January 2003. It came about in response to the need
for an accessible forum for Folkestone’s new creative quarter.
It took the form of a monthly black-and-white magazine which was available
free on counters in various places throughout the Old Town, and in other
town-centre outlets. Readership included artists and others interested
in moving in to the area, as well as tourists and visitors - but The
Quarter also aimed to give a voice to existing businesses and residents
as they face a time of change and regeneration in the district.
News
and views were supplemented with a regular Listings guide and advertising
which was specific and relevant to the creative quarter area. In this
way we set out to make The Quarter a useful publication which quickly
created its own specifically local demand; this in turn helped reinforce
its vitality and influence in spreading news, insights and networking
opportunities for everyone.
The Quarter was totally independent of any authoritative body; it was
set up as a not-for-profit endeavour by a handful of individuals with
a strong personal interest in the success of the creative quarter. The
subscriptions and the advertising revenue covered the printing costs
- all other input was totally unpaid, though we were able to recover
expenses. This gave us the luxury of a delightfully unfettered editorial
policy; generally coverage of CQ matters was naturally positive, but
we didn’t shrink from controversy - contentious ideas which were
raised on our pages were frequently challenged in subsequent issues.
For the last few issues the print run was around 2000 copies per month.
The magazine steadily grew in thickness, too, month by month, to 52
pages. You could usually pick up a copy in the following outlets in
Folkestone:
Ottakar's
Bookshop, Waterstones' Bookshop, Marrin's
Bookshop, The Metropole Galleries,
Georges House Gallery, Sainsbury's
(the town-centre branch), Sweet Rendezvous, The Hermitage Restaurant,
The Public Library and The Chambers.